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In a teahouse in Dali

Tomsima

Entry posted by Tomsima

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I like my tea, and went on a bit of a tea hunting expedition a few months back. Here's a photo from a small teahouse in Dali, Yunnan, which I thought was interesting. the manager was a really interesting guy, and it was definitely my favorite teahouse we visited in Yunnan.

 

Naturally, as an Englishman in a Chinese tea shop, the topic of the opium wars eventually came around, which is always slightly awkward and seems to often result in my somewhat forced comical apology for what happened with 圓明園 . this time was different however: after my voluntary push into the opium wars topic (thinking i was avoiding the elephant in the room), the manager smiled, and silently pointed at the sign behind me. We both laughed, and went back to our tea. There was a certain affinity in that moment that I have found quite rare while living in middle of nowhere China, where you are reminded every day you are an 'outsider'.

P70511-220511.jpg

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roddy

roddy 5842

Posted

That's an excellent story, thanks for posting!

 

Edit: Actually, it's also interesting that the sign is necessary...

somethingfunny

somethingfunny 842

Posted

Quote

Naturally, as an Englishman in a Chinese tea shop, the topic of the opium wars eventually came around

 

I didn't find this to be much of a problem.  I guess it came up a few times.  I usually found myself apologizing for knowing almost nothing about it... "Yeah, one of the defining moments in your nation's history doesn't even register in our school history curriculum, sorry about that." 

 

Too busy learning about castles innit.

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Lu

Lu 3814

Posted

Quote

seems to often result in my somewhat forced comical apology for what happened with 圓明園

Heh, I do that in Taiwan, for 38 years of Dutch colonisation. They always laugh. But I only dare apologise because I know nobody there cares anymore. I think in, say, Indonesia I would only say that I agree that it was indeed bad and wrong.

roddy

roddy 5842

Posted

Was on a long train journey once - can't remember where, I think I was going Harbin > Yantai so had got off a Harbin>Shanghai train and transferred to a local train. Hard seat, bunch of hard seat travellers amused to see me. Our cluster of seats had an old fellow and a few younger lads. Usual conversation starts until the old fellow asks me how long the ship took to get to China from the UK. Lots of laughter from the younger folk and I say the plane took 10 hours or something. Old fellow very aggrieved at being laughed at, and goes right from travel into holding me personally responsible for the opium wars. 

 

 

Or at least that's roughly how it happened. One of those anecdotes that improves with age...

 

somethingfunny

somethingfunny 842

Posted

This reminds me of one of my favourite stories, which I've probably told here before...

 

I was having a foot massage and somehow found out the lady had been to North Korea.  I asked her: "你去朝鲜做什么？" To which she replied: "坐火车了".

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Lu

Lu 3814

Posted

30 minutes ago, somethingfunny said:

I was having a foot massage and somehow found out the lady had been to North Korea.  I asked her: "你去朝鲜做什么？" To which she replied: "坐火车了".

This sounds like that farmer a few years ago, who when asked 你幸福吗？ replied 不，我性王。 He was also adept at not 谈ing 国事.

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